Railway skate control and operating apparatus



1386- 1945- ca. T. CLARK RAILWAY SKATE CONTROL AND OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March 16, 1944 5 SheetsSheet 1 mK E m @QQS QN INVEAJTORK BY (/QPOHZ'0ZGP1 L arm HIJ" A TTORNE Y Dec. 4, 1945. G. T. CLARK RAILWAY SKATE CONTROL AND OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March 16, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 T M3 2 W1 Dec. 4, 1945. r V G. T. CLARK 2,390,055

RAILWAY SKATE CONTROL AND OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March 16, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6km? Plaozhg M05 in? Magma.

INVENTOR G azdzwm. BY @2 A H11!" ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1945 RAILWAY SKATE CONTROL AND OPERATING APPARATUS Gerald T. Clark, Hazel Crest, 111., assignor to The Union Switch and Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 16, 1944, Serial N 0. 526,670

4 Claims.

My invention relates to railway skate control and operating apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus for making available a plurality of skates, one at a time.

At railway hump yards and other place it is desirable to provide car stopping devices by,

which a car can be stopped or at least slowed down when such a car approaches a standing car at a speed such that the impact between the cars when coupled together may result in damage to the, equipment and lading. A device known as a railway skate is frequently used. A skate is formed with surfaces such that when the skate is placed on a track rail the wheel of a car rides on to these surfaces and the skate is pushed along the rail and retards the car due to the friction between the skate and the rail. A power operated skate placing machine is frequently provided to place a skate either on the rail where it is engaged by the car wheel or ofi the rail where it is out of the way of a passing car. Such a skate placing machine is usually controlled by the operator or towerman who governs the switching movement of the cars. A skate is detachably mounted on an element of the skate placing machine in such a manner that the skate can be detached from the machine without damage to either the skate or the machine when a car wheel engages the skate to carry it along the rail. Such machines heretofore provided accommodate but a single skate and when that one is used the operator is without the use of a skate until a new skate can be placed in the machine. The Proceclure heretofore followed has been that the operator when he has used the skate notifies a maintainer who carries a new skate to the location of the machine and attaches it in place thereon. This procedure requires some little time and the loss of the use of a skate for such a period of time is undesirable.

In view of such circumstances, a feature of my invention is the provision of improved railway skate control and operating apparatus wherewith a plurality of skates are made available for use one at a time.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of novel self-loading skate placing apparatus.

Again, a feature of my invention is the provision of railway skate control and operating apparatus incorporating novel means to automatically attach to a skate placing machine a skate normally held in reserve when the skate originally attached to the machine has been carried away by a car.

Other features, objects and advantages embodying myinvention' will appear as the specification progresses.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention it is proposed to provide an electropneumatic skate placing machine and an electropneumatic reloading machine. The skate placing machine in-. cludes a skate holding member pivotally mounted to rotate at'right angles to the track rail and formedwith longitudinal surfaces dovetailed to fit corresponding dovetailed surfaces of a slot formed in the skate. This member is positioned outside of the rail and rotates through an arc of substantially 90 degrees. A skate can thus be attached to this member through the dovetailed slot and the member rotated at right angles to the rail to bring the skate to a first or vertical position where the skate is on top of the rail to engage a car wheel, and rotated to a second or horizontal position where the skate is removed from the rail and out of the way of a passing car. Also when the skate is on top of the rail and engaged by a car wheel, the car can carry the skate along the rail and detach it from the holdins member without damage to the skate or to the holding member. The motor element of this skate placing machine comprises a cylinder hayin a reciprocating piston operativelv co ecte to the skat holding member to actuate that .member between its two positions according as skate is placed due to its dovetailed slot, and

from which'slide bar' such second skate can he slid onto the skate holding member of the skate placing machine when that member occupies its sec- 0nd or off-rail position. The motor element of the reloading machine comprises a cylinder containing a reciprocating piston 'operatively associated with the reserve skate to slide such skate along the slide bar and on to the holding memher when pressure is supplied to the cylinder, such pressure being controlled through a magnet valve.

A circuit controller operable to different positions is disposed so that it is actuated from a first position to a second position when a skate is carried along the rail by a car away from the skate placing machine, and is restored back to its first position when a reserve skate of the reloading machine is placed on the skate holding member. Control circuits are governed by contacts of this controller in such a manner that the magnet valves are conditioned for operation of the skate placing machine under normal conditions and for operation of the reloading machine when a car has carried away the original skate. Such control circuits are also governed in part at least by the operator who ordinarily would control the movement of a car over the track with which the skate placing machine is associated.

It is to be pointed out, however, that the skate placing machine and the reloading machine can each be operated by an electric motor rather than by a fluid pressure motor. Also it is to be noted that the reloading machine may be replaced by a second skate placing machine, and the control apparatus arranged to hold the second machine in reserve and bring it into active condition when a car has carried away the skate of a first one of the machines and which first machine is normally in an active condition, and it is to be understood that my invention contemplates such embodiment of the apparatus.

I shall describe certain forms of apparatus embodyin my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention when a skate placing machine and a skate reloading machine are used. Fig. 2 is a vertical view, partly in section, showing the skate placing machine of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III1'lI of Fig. 1 and showing the slide bar and driver of the reloading machine, the parts being enlarged in Fig. 3. Figs. 4a and 4b are views partly diagrammatic and partly in section showing a circuit controller that may be used with the apparatus of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views, each showing a form of control circuits embodying my invention and either of which form of circuits may be used with the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a track rail la is the left-hand rail of a track over which cars normally move in the direction indicated by an arrow. The reference characters KI and K2 designate railway skates. These two skates preferably are alike and they may be similar in structure to that covered by Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,002,217, granted May 21, 1935, to Herbert L, Bone, for Railway track skates. It is suflicient for this application to point out that skate Kl for example, is provided with a channel 2 to receive the head of the track rail when the skate is placed in its first or onrail position. The skate is further provided with an inclined tongue 3 overlaying the head of the rail and upon which the tread of a car wheel rides to engage curved surfaces 4 of the skate, and which surfaces are formed to substantially fit the periphery of a car wheel. Extending at the lower edge of skate KI is 3, lug 6 in which a longitudinal dovetailed slot 5 is formed to fit corresponding dovetailed surfaces of a holding member of a skate placing machine designated as a whole by the reference character SM.

Skate placing machine SM may take different forms, and as here disclosed it includes a housing F which is secured to the base of rail Ia by hook bolts 8. A crank 9 is pivotally mounted in the housing at 10 and carries on its arm H through means of a flat spring l2, a skate holding member 13, which is formed with dovetailed surfaces corresponding to the surfaces of, slot 5 of skate Kl. An arm M of crank 9 is adjustably connected to the free end of piston rod 15 of the motor element of machine SM. Thus skate Kl can be attached to the machine SM through the dovetailed surfaces of slot 5 of the skate and of the holding member l3 of the machine, and the skate can be moved in a plane at right angles to the track rail by means of crank 9.

The motor element comprises a cylinder [6 containing a reciprocating piston I! to which he piston rod 15 is secured. Piston I! is biased to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 to the extreme right-hand end of cylinder Iii by means of a bias spring 18, and it is operable to a left-hand position, that is, the position illustrated in Fig. 2, against the force of a spring [8 by fluid pressure admitted to cylinder I6 through a pipe I9 leading to a magnet valve Ml, the arrangement being such that when magnet valve Mi is energized to open a valve Bil and close a valve 6| fluid pressure is supplied from a suitable source to cylinder 13, but that when magnet valve MI is deenergized to reverse the positions of valves 60 and (H, the cylinder is exhausted to atmosphere.

It is clear, therefore, that when fluid pressure is supplied to the machine SM crank 9 and hold ing member [3 are rotated to the position shown in Fig. 2, and skate Kl is placed on the rail to engage a car wheel. When skate Kl is thus positioned on the rail and is engaged by a car wheel, the skate is free to slide along the top of the rail and becomes disengaged from machine SM without damage to the machine or to the skate. When cylinder !6 is exhausted, the sprin I8 serves as an operating element to rotate crank 91 and holding member [3, degrees counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, and skate Kl is removed from the rail to a position where it lays on its side, as illustrated in Fig, 1, and is out of the way of a passing car.

The reloading machine is designated as a whole by the reference character RM, and comprises a slide bar 20, a driver 2| and a motor element 22. The slide bar 20 is provided with a cross section as shown in Fig. 3, and which cross section corresponds substantially to that of the holding member l3. That is, the slide bar 20 is provided with dovetailed surfaces that fit the slot 5 of the skate so that a skate, such as skate K2, for example, can readily be mounted thereon and can be moved along the slide bar. Slide bar 20 is mounted on supports 23 and 24 secured to a plate 25 lag screwed to the top of the ties, and the bar 20 is disposed to align with the skate holding member l3 when that member occupies its second position. Thus skate K2 placed on slide bar 20 can be slid along the slide bar and on to the holding member I3. As best shown in Fig. 3, the driver 2| comprises a top member 26 and a bottom member 21 between which are mounted rollers 28, 29 and 39, rollers 28 and 29 being disposed to roll along one side of the slide bar 20, and roller 30 to roll along the opposite side of the slide bar. A lug 31 is formed on the driver and the free end of a piston rod 33 0f the motor element 22 is secured to lug 3| by a pin 32.

The motor element 22 of the reloading machine is of a construction similar to that of the motor element of the skate placing machine SM and comprises a cylinder 34 having a reciprocating piston mounted therein and to which piston the piston rod 30 is connected. This piston is spring biased to a normal position and is operated against the force of the bias spring to a reverse position when fluid pressure is admitted to cylinder 34 through a pipe 35 from a magnet valve M2 and which magnet valve is of a construction similar to that of magnet valve Ml. Thus when magnet valve M2 is deenergized fiuid pressure is exhausted from cylinder 34, and the piston rod 33 and in turn driver 2| are moved to a right-hand position, that is, to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, by the bias spring, but when magnet M2 is energized fluid pressure is supplied to cylinder 34, and the piston rod and in turn driver 2| are moved to the left to a left-hand position, the driver 2| in its movement engaging skate K2 to move it along the slide bar. The parts are so proportioned that at the extreme left-hand movement of the driver 2!, the skate K2 is brought to the position of skate Kl as shown in Fig, 1. Consequently, skate K2 remains stationary on slide bar 20 as long as the motor element 22 of the reloading machine is without fluid pressure, but with fluid pressure supplied thereto, the skate K2 is attached to the skate placing machine, assuming of course that the skate Kl in the skate placing machine has been removed.

A circuit controller is shown conventionally at CC in Fig. 1, and more specifically in Figs. 4a and 4b. Circuit controller CC is secured to plate 25 in a position between the slide bar 20 and the rail la, and is provided with two operating levers 36' and 31, each of which is fitted to a shaft 38 on which an insulation drum member 39 is secured. These levers 36 and 3'! are fixed on the shaft substantially 90 degrees apart. Controller CC is so positioned that its lever arm 3'! extends into the path of skate Kl as the skate is being moved along the rail away from the skate plactact member 4| carried on the drum out of engagement with two stationary contacts 42 and 43 to open the circuit contact 42-43. Such movement of the drum 33 of the controller also brings a contact member 44 carried on the drum into engagement with contact fingers 45 and 46 to complete a circuit contact -46. When skate K2 is then moved along bar 20 on to the holding member E3, the lug engages lever 36 and drum 39 is rotated back to its original position, causing contact member 4! to close contact 4243 and contact member 44 to open contact -46. The function of these circuit contacts of controller CC will appear shortly.

In Fig. 5, control circuits for controlling skate placing machine SM and reloading machine RM are disclosed. A manually operable lever SL located, for example. at the office or tower of the operator who governs cars moving over the track including rail la, is connected with contacts shown conventionally at L and R and which contacts are closed when the lever is moved to the left-hand and right-hand positions, respectively. With lever SL moved to its left-hand position to close contact L an obvious circuit is formed for the magnet valve Ml of the skate placing machine, the circuit including contact 42-43 of controller CC. With magnet valve MI energized and fluid pressure supplied to the machine SM,

the skate Kl is positioned on the rail. as illustrated in Fig. 2. In the event the operator desires to remove the skate K! from the rail, the lever SL is placed at its mid position to open contact L and remove current from magnet valve Ml, causing the magnet valve to become deeneroperated to the second position where skate Klis oil therail as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the event skate Kl is placed on the rail and carried away by a car, the reserve skate K2 can be placed in the machine SM by the operator. Skate Kl in being moved along the rail shifts controller CC to open contact 4243 and close contact 45-46. The opening of contact 42--43 causes magnet MI to be deenergized and the skate placing machine SM to be operated to its second position, due to the bias spring I 8. The operator would then move lever SL to its righth'and position to close contact R and complete a circuit for magnet valve M2 of the reloading machine RM, the circuit including the now closed contact 45-45 of controller CC. Energization of magnet valve M2 to supply fluid pressure to the motor element of machine RM causes skate K2 to be moved from the slide bar 20 on to the holding member I3 of machine SM. At the final movement of skate K2 the circuit controller CC is operated back to its normal position where contact 4243 is closed and contact 45-46 is open. Control of skate K2 on to and oil? the rail can now be eiiected by the operator in the manner described in connection with the control of the original skate KI.

In Fig. 6, control circuits for automatically attaching the reserve skate of the reloading machine to the skate placing machine when a car carries away the original skate are provided. Lever SL of Fig. 6 is provided with circuit controlling contacts R and N, contact R being closed at the right-hand position of the lever and contact N being closed at the normal position of the lever, that is, the position shown in the drawing. The circuit controller CC of Fig. 6 is similar to and positioned in the same manner as the controller of Fig. 5. Rail la of Fig, 6 is formed with a short insulated rail section E located so as to be traversed by a car as it moves away from the skate placing machine SM. Section E is provided with an open type track circuit including a battery 59 and a track relay TR. The apparatus also includes a stick relay SR. It is believed that the circuits of Fig. 6 will best be understood by a description of the operation of the apparatus.

Normally, the stick relay SR is supplied with current by both a pick-up circuit and a stick circuit, the pick-up circuit extending from terminal B of a convenient source of current, such as a battery not shown, through contact N of lever SL, contact Ell-52 of controller CC, and winding of relay SR to terminal C of the same source of current. The stick circuit extends from terminal B of the currrent source through back contact 53 of track relay TR, front contact 54 of stick relay SR and winding of relay SR to terminal C. Both magnet valves MI and M2 are normally deenergized so that skate K! is normally positioned off the rail and reloading machine RM is inactive. Skate K! is placed on the rail by the operator moving the lever SL to its right-hand position where contact R is closed and a circuit completed for current to flow from terminal B through contact R, contact 42-43 of controller CC, front contact 55 of relay SR and winding of magnet valve MI to terminal C. With magnet valve Mi energized and fluid pressure supplied to machine SM, the skate Kl is moved on to the rail in the manner explained hereinbefore. Assuming a car moves along the track for its wheel to engage skate KI and carry the skate away, the circuit controller CC is operated to open contacts 42-43 gized and the skate placing machine SM to be and 5l52 and close contact 56-5'l. The opening f contact l243 causes magnet valve Ml to be deenergized and the machine SM is operated to its second and olT rail position, operation of the machine being efiected through the bias spring l8 of its motor element. The opening of contact 5 l52 opens the pick-up circuit for relay SR but that relay is retained energized for the time being by its stick circuit. The closing of contact 555l prepares a circuit for magnet valve M2 of the reloading machine RM. The can on moving a little past the machine SM enters the section E and track relay TR is picked-up. The opening of back contact 53 of track relay TR opens the stick circuit for relay SR and that relay is deenergized and released. The closing of front contact 58 of track relay TR completes the circuit for magnet valve M2 and current fiows from terminal B through contact 555'! of controller CC, front contact 58 of relay TR, back contact 59 of relay SR, and winding of magnet valve M2 to terminal C, and magnet valve M2 is energized so that fluid pressure is supplied to the motor element of the machine RM and the reserve skate K2 is moved from the slide bar 23 on to the holding member I3 of the skate placing machine SM. This movement of the skate K2 actuates controller CC back to its normal position where contacts 42 l3 and til-52 are closed and contact 56-45! is open. Magnet valve M2 is now deenergized and the reloading machine RM is operated back to its normal position due to the biasing spring of its motor element. To regain control of the skate placing machine SM the operator must move lever SL back to its normal position and close contact N and complete the pick-up circuit for relay SR, so that relay SR is reenergized. When the car has advanced beyond section E and track relay TR is released, the circuits are restored to their normal condition, and the operator can control the skate placing machine for placing skate K2 on and off the rail.

The apparatus here provided has the advan-- tages that when a first skate has been carried away by a car, a second skate is at once made available for the operator to use to stop a second car. It is again to be noted that in place of the reloading machine RM, a second skate placing machine may be provided and th circuits arranged to hold the second machine in reserve until such time as the skate of the first machine has been carried away by a, car.

Although I have herein shown and described certain forms of railway skate control and operating apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a track rail, railway skate operating apparatus adaptable of having a first skate attached thereto in an active position and a second skate attached thereto in an inactive position, control means including a car controlled contact to govern said apparatus as required to place said first skate on said rail to engage a car wheel, and other control means including a contact controlled by a car in carrying away said first skate to automatically govern said apparatus as required to shift said second skate from its inactive position to the active position previously occupied by said first skate.

2. In combination with a track rail, railway skate operating apparatus adaptable of having a first skate attached thereto in an active position and a second skate attached thereto in an inactive position, a manually operable lever to actuate a first and a second contact according to a first and a second position of the lever, 21. first control circuit including said first contact to govern said skate operating apparatus as required to move said first skate on to said rail to engage a car wheel, and a second control circuit including said second contact to govern said skate operating apparatus as required to move said second skate from its inactive position to the active position of said first skate.

3. In railway skate control and operating apparatus, the combination comprising, an electrically controlled skate placing machine adaptable of having a skate attached thereto in removable condition, said machine operable when energized to place the attached skate on a track rail to engage a car wheel, an electrically controlled reloading machine having a reserve skate operatively associated therewith and disposed in operative relationship with said skate placing machine, said reloading machine operable when energized to attach said reserve skate on said skate placing machine, a remote control device, a circuit controller disposed for movement by a skate when removed from said skate placing machine by a car and by a skate when being attached to said skate placing machine, and circuit means jointl controlled by said remote control device and said circuit controller to selectively energize said skate placing machine and said reloading machine.

4. In railway skate control and operating apparatus, the combination comprising, an electrically controlled skate placing machine adaptable of having a skate attached thereto in removable condition, said machine operable when energized to place the attached skate on a track rail to engage a car wheel, an electrically controlled reloading machine having a reserve skate operatively associated therewith and disposed in operative relationship with said skate placing machine, said reloading machine operable when energized to attach said reserve skate on said skate placing machine, a remote control device, a circuit controller disposed for movement from a first position to a second position by a skate when it is removed from the skate placing machine by a car and moved from the second position back to the first position by a skate being attached to the skate placing machine by said reloading machine, a first control circuit including a first position contact of said controller to at times energize said skate placing machine, and a second control circuit including a second position contact of said controller and another car controlled contact to energize said reloading machine.

GERALD T. CLARK. 

